12
SOUNDSTREAM TECHNOLOGIES
120 Blue Ravine Road • Folsom • California 95630 USA
tel 916.351.1288 fax 916.351.0414
(REV A, 4/6/98)
1
RUBICON10, 12 and 15
Subwoofers
OWNER'S MANUAL AND
INSTALLATION GUIDE
2
RUBICON SUBWOOFERS
CONGRATULATIONS! You have chosen a superior product for
reproducing true high fidelity in the car. This precision component, when
properly installed, is capable of audiophile-quality performance.
Should your woofer ever require service or replacement, recording the
information below for your own records will help protect your investment.
Model Number:___________________________________________________________
Serial Number: ___________________________________________________________
Dealer’s Name: __________________________________________________________
Date of Purchase: ________________________________________________________
Installation Shop: _________________________________________________________
Installation Date: _________________________________________________________
DESIGN FEATURES
• Installation Flexibility - The RUBICON woofers perform well in infinite baffle, sealed,
vented and bandpass enclosures.
• Quality Steel Frame Basket provides rigidity and damping with Blue Powder Coat
Finish for durability and scuff resistance.
• Ultra-High power handling Voice Coil with Kapton-Epoxy Former increases power
handling and performance. Aerospace grade adhesives and materials insure longevity and
high performance.
• High Efficiency Design - Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machined magnets
and steel plates ensure close tolerances helping to precisely focus the magnetic energy for
optimum performance.
• High Emissivity Coating on the steel plates improves power handling.
• Vented Pole Piece for greater voice coil cooling.
• Custom-designed High Strength Spider controls the long travel cone assembly.
• Superb Engineering and Attention to Detail - ensure high quality, consistent assembly
and ensure your woofers will perform to specification for many years.
11
RUBICON15
Vented
• 3.0 ft
3
@ 40 Hz (three 4” x
10.5” ports) - Very high
output -- Great for Rock
and Rap music.
• 2.5 ft
3
@ 40 Hz (two 4” x
10.0” ports) - High output
for both Rock and Rap
music.
Sealed Bandpass
• Rear = 1.3 ft
3
sealed
Front = 2.0 ft
3
@ 62 Hz
(four 4" x 9.25" ports) -
Deep bass, very high
output in a small box --
great for all types of music.
• Rear = 3.0 ft
3
sealed
Front = 3.0 ft
3
@ 47 Hz
(two 4” x 4.5” ports) - Very
high output, solid bass to
40 Hz -- great for Rock or
Rap.
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
105
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
Vented
Sealed
Bandpass
(SBP)
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
105
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
105
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
105
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
10
Sealed Bandpass
•Rear = 1.5ft
3
sealed
Front = 1.5 ft
3
@ 53 Hz
(two 4" x 9 1/4" ports) -
Deep bass, high output --
great for all types of music.
•Rear = .75 sealed
Front = 1.25 @ 73 Hz (4” x
8” port)- very high output,
solid bass to 50 Hz -- great
for Rock or Rap.
Isobaric Bandpass
•Rear = .1.5 sealed
Front = 1.0 @ 42 Hz (4” x
12.75” port)- Very high
output in small enclosure,
solid bass to 30 Hz --
RUBICON12
Sealed
Bandpass
(SBP)
Isobaric
Sealed
Bandpass
(ISOSBP)
RUBICON15
Infinite Baffle
Excellent performance for all types of music at moderate levels
Sealed
•1.5 ft
3
- Good output in
small enclosure. All around
good enclosure.
•3.0 ft
3
- Deep, smooth
response. Great for Jazz
and Classical music.
Sealed
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
105
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
3
RUBICON
10
RUBICON
12
RUBICON
15
Freq. Response 32-500 Hz 30-500 Hz 28-500 Hz
Sens. 2.83v/1m 91 dB 93 dB 95 dB
Impedance (nom. z) 4 ohms 4 ohms 4 ohms
Rated Program Power 250 watts 250 watts 300 watts
Fs 34 Hz 29 Hz 29 Hz
Qts .43 .42 .45
Qms 11.5 8.47 6.80
Qes .45 .44 .49
EBP (Fs/Qes) 75.5 65.9 59.3
Vas (ft
3
) 1.61 3.89 5.58
Vas (liters) 45.4 110.2 158.2
Vas (m
3
) .045 .110 .158
Cms (um/N) 209 247 170
DCR (ohms) 3.60 3.62 3.35
Levc (mH) @ 1 KHz 2.90 3.08 3.50
BL (Tesla m) 13.38 13.47 14.90
Sd (in
2
) 60.7 86.9 125.4
Sd (m
2
) .039 .056 .081
Sd (cm
2
) 391 560 809
X max; one way (linear mm) 4.7 4.7 6.35
X max; one way (peak mm) 21 21 28
Vd (linear cm
3
) 184 263 514
Vd (peak cm
3
) 821 1176 2265
Vd (linear m
3
) .000184 .000263 .000514
Vd (peak m
3
) .000821 .001176 .002265
Mms (grams) 104 121
178
Magnet Assembly (oz) 112 112 180
Magnet Weight (oz) 37 37 68
Vf (volume of frame) 120 in
3
135 in
3
300 in
3
Coil length (mm) 19 19 25
Coil diameter (in) 2 2 2
TP (mm) 9.7 9.7 12.8
Mounting Dia. (in) 9 1/8 11 1/8 13 7/8
Mounting Depth (in) 4 1/2 5 1/4 7
SPECIFICATIONS & THIELE/SMALL PARAMETERS
4
SELECTING AN ENCLOSURE
There are several different enclosure designs for different applications.
The RUBICON subwoofers work very well in all the following enclosure
designs. It is up to you to select the specific enclosure that will work
the best for your particular application.
Infinite Baffle
Infinite baffle is the simplest type of subwoofer installation. In this type
of installation, the woofer(s) is mounted to a baffle which is then
mounted to either the rear deck or back seat of the vehicle. The best
results are achieved when the trunk area is virtually airtight and
isolated from the passenger compartment.
Sealed Enclosure
Sealed enclosures are relatively simple to build and
install, as all that is required is an airtight box. The
larger the sealed enclosure, the more the
performance resembles that of an infinite baffle
installation.
Vented Enclosure
Vented enclosures use a sealed enclosure with a
Pros Cons
• Good low frequency exten-
sion down to the tuning fre-
quency
• High power handling down
to the tuning frequency
• Higher output than sealed
enclosures
• Low power handling
below the tuning fre-
quency
• Almost no output
below the tuning fre-
quency
Pros Cons
• Very good low frequency
extension
• Very good transient re-
sponse
• High power handling
• Medium efficiency
Pros Cons
• Excellent low frequency extension
• Excellent transient response
• Uses almost no trunk space
• Lower power handling
• Low to medium efficiency
Sealed (S)
Vented (V)
9
Sealed Bandpass (Cont'd)
• Rear = .50 sealed
Front = .40 @ 69 Hz (4” x
11.50” port)- Good bass
response in a small
enclosure.
• Rear = .40 sealed
Front = .50 @ 75 Hz (4” x
6.75” port)- High output in
50 to 80 Hz range -- Good
for Rap music.
RUBICON10
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
Sealed
• .75 ft
3
- Good output in
small enclosure.
• 1.5 ft
3
- Deep, smooth
response.
Vented
• 3.0 ft
3
@ 28 Hz (4” x
8.75” port) - Flat
response -- good general
enclosure.
• 1.5 ft
3
@ 40 Hz (4” x
8.75” port) - High output
for both Rock and Rap
music.
RUBICON12
Infinite Baffle
Excellent performance for all types of music at moderate levels
Sealed (S)
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
Vented (V)
8
Sealed
• 0.5 ft
3
- Good linear
response, excellent small
enclosure.
• 1.5 ft
3
- Good response,
excellent SPL enclosure.
Excellent for high SPL,
multiple driver applications.
Vented
• 1.0 ft
3
@ 33 Hz (3” x
11.75” port) - Butterworth
type -- smooth, even
response
• 1.5 ft
3
@ 28 Hz (3” x
10.75” port) - Sub-tuned --
great for classical
• .75 ft
3
@ 50 Hz (3” x 5.75”
port) - Good punch with
high output and boom
peak -- Great for Rap
music
Sealed Bandpass
• Rear = .75ft
3
sealed
Front = .50 ft
3
@ 58 Hz
(4" x 13.25” port) - Very
RUBICON10
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
Infinite Baffle
• Excellent performance for all types of music at moderate levels
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
10 100 1000
Frequency Hz
dB
Sealed (S)
Vented (V)
Sealed
Bandpass
(SBP)
5
vent or port in the box which is tuned to resonate at a specific
frequency.
Sealed Bandpass Enclosure
Sealed bandpass enclosures enclose both sides of the
woofer(s). An airtight enclosure is built around
the front and back of the woofer and one chamber is ported to a
specific frequency.
CALCULATING (NET) INTERNAL ENCLOSURE VOLUMES
When constructing any type of enclosure, you must be aware that the
outside dimensions DO NOT represent the true (Net) volume inside.
Such things as woofers, ports, thickness of enclosure material, dividing
walls, and any internal bracing will reduce the total amount of the
actual air space available. The following worksheet has been designed
to provide you with the necessary steps to accurately calculate the
absolute (Net) internal volume of any given enclosure.
Calculating Cylindrical Port Volume
1. Measure the outside diameter of the port and divide by 2 for the
radius.
2. Square the radius and multiply by 3.14 (π) to arrive at outside port
area.
3. Multiply the area by the length of
the port inside the enclosure for the
port volume.
outside
diameter
length inside
enclosure
Pros Cons
• High power handling
within the operating
frequencies
• Very high output within
the range of the oper-
ating frequencies
• Low power handling
beyond the tuning
frequency
• Poor to moderate
transient response
• Poor low frequency
extension
Sealed Bandpass
(SBP)
6
Measure maximum possible dimensions
Multiply wall thickness by 2
Subtract this from each dimension to
arrive at Gross Internal Dimensions
Multiply LxWxD to arrive at
Gross Internal Volume
Deduct Vf (volume of the speaker frame)
from Gross Internal Volume
Braces?
No Yes
Calculate brace volume and deduct
from Gross Internal Volume
Deduct Vf (volume of the speaker frame)
from Gross Internal Volume
You are at Net Internal Volume
in cubic inches (in )
3
To convert to LITERS:
Divide in by 61.03
To convert to CUBIC FEET:
Divide in by 1728
3
3
ENCLOSURE VOLUME FLOWCHART
7
BUILDING THE ENCLOSURE
• Determine the dimensions of your enclosure.
• Be certain the box you have designed will fit into the location you have
chosen. Sometimes making a cardboard box with the same outside
dimensions is helpful.
• Use 3/4 inch thick Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) or High Density
Particleboard. It is preferable to cut the wood with a table saw to ensure
straight, even joints. If a table saw is not available, a circular saw is
acceptable.
• Use a “T” square to verify precise right angle gluing.
• Use a high quality wood glue and air nails or wood screws to assemble the
enclosure. Elmer’s woodworker’s glue and Weldwood work well. To
guarantee an airtight box, seal each inside joint with silicone sealant.
• For Sealed Enclosures, stuff the chamber with 50-75% filling (approximately
1.5 pounds per cubic foot) of fiberglass insulation or Dacron.
• For Vented Enclosures, staple 1 inch thick fiberglass insulation or Dacron to
all walls of the enclosure except the baffle to which the woofer is mounted.
• Use the supplied gasket to seal the woofer in the enclosure and eight(8)
wood screws or T-nuts and bolts. Progressively tighten each of the bolts or
screws to prevent warping the woofer frame.
• Use slide-on connectors to attach speaker wires. Do not solder wires to the
provided terminals as this may cause damage to the factory wire
connection. This may also void the speaker’s warranty.
SUGGESTED ENCLOSURES
The following designs include a variety of enclosure sizes and types.
Each design has two frequency response curves; one showing
predicted
“In-Car” response, and the other showing “Half-Space Anechoic” (out-
of-car) frequency response. The performance difference between the
two curves is a result of the natural acoustics of an “average”
automotive environment. This “average” transfer function is only an
approximation of what you may expect to see in your car. Every car is
different. Each curve was generated using 2.83 Volts across both
voice coils in parallel and measured at 1 meter. Also, each frequency
response curve includes a 12 dB/octave low pass filter at 100 Hz for
sealed and vented enclosures and 200 Hz for bandpass enclosures.
The response curves can help you visualize relative performance
differences between designs. Read through the descriptions given for
each enclosure and select the one that suits your needs.
/
